Daily Briefing: Will bird flu be the next pandemic?

Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY
·3 min read

In the heart of North Carolina, winding conveyor belts and hanging robotic arms are filling glass vials in an effort to avoid the next global pandemic. Elon Musk chatted up GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump on X. Officials ruled U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles cannot reclaim her bronze medal.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Everyone's a Raygun fan.

Will bird flu be the next pandemic?

A quiet effort to prevent the next global pandemic began rolling off an assembly line this summer behind the gates of an office complex in suburban Raleigh, North Carolina.

In this sprawling factory, workers at CSL Seqirus are bottling millions of doses of a new vaccine targeting the H5N1 bird flu virus.

  • The virus has been spreading this year among dairy and poultry farms across the United States.

  • The virus is not being passed from person to person – and that why public health officials aren't hitting the panic button. Because the risk to the general public remains low, the federal government doesn’t think it’s worth vaccinating anyone against H5N1 yet – even the farmworkers most at risk.

  • But behind the scenes, officials are preparing about 4.8 million doses of a potential vaccine, ready for delivery if needed.

Vials of un-inspected vaccines are readied for inspection as they move through the CSL Seqirus vaccine manufacturing facility in Holly Springs, North Carolina.
Vials of un-inspected vaccines are readied for inspection as they move through the CSL Seqirus vaccine manufacturing facility in Holly Springs, North Carolina.

Musk and Trump chat on X

Billionaire and social media owner Elon Musk interviewed his endorsed 2024 presidential candidate, Republican Donald Trump Monday evening - once X was able to broadcast it after a glitch delayed the start by about 40 minutes.  Trump repeated many of the same stories about his presidency he tells on the campaign trail, and the pair discussed their mutual opposition to illegal border crossings. Read more

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Nearly 200,000 Russians evacuated as Ukraine pushes in

Ukraine pummelled two Russian regions with drones on Tuesday as its ground forces tried to smash through defensive lines in a bid to carve out even more territory in its biggest attack on Russian territory since the war began. Ukrainian soldiers crossed the Russian border, about 330 miles southwest of Moscow, a week ago, in a surprise attack that President Vladimir Putin said was aimed at improving Kyiv's negotiating position ahead of possible talks and slowing the advance of Russian forces along the rest of the front. Read more

Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar's political fate on the line

Voters are casting their ballots in House and Senate primaries in four states on Tuesday, including in one contest that will determine Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar's political future. All eyes are on Omar's reelection bid because she's a member of the House's progressive "Squad," and two lawmakers in the informal group lost their primaries to more moderate Democrats this year as the party has split over U.S. support for Israel. Read more

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Jordan Chiles' bronze medal won't be restored

USA Gymnastics said Monday that its appeal to restore gymnast Jordan Chiles' bronze medal in the floor exercise has been turned down. The news comes a little more than a week after the actual floor exercise competition itself, where a late inquiry by Chiles' coaches first triggered a saga that has played out in the days since. Caught in the middle of all of this are, of course, the athletes.

Photo of the day: When you arrive at work to a new Banksy

World famous street artist Banksy confirmed his latest work in an Instagram post on Tuesday. The work shows a gorilla peeling back a curtain, seemingly releasing animals. It's painted on shutters at the London Zoo in Camden.

London Zoo staff members measure up a new mural by street artist Banksy of a gorilla freeing animals on the shutters at London Zoo on August 13, 2024 in London, England.
London Zoo staff members measure up a new mural by street artist Banksy of a gorilla freeing animals on the shutters at London Zoo on August 13, 2024 in London, England.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bird flu, Musk, Trump, X, Ukraine, Russia, Jordan Chiles, Banksy: Daily Briefing

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